Writing is a skill that can open many doors for your career, whether you want to work in journalism, marketing, education, or any other field that requires effective communication.
But how do you gain the experience and confidence to land your dream writing job? One of the best ways is to apply for paid writing internships, where you can learn from professionals, get feedback on your work, and earn some money while doing what you love.
In this article, we will introduce you to the top 15 paid writing internships that you can apply for, covering various topics, formats, and industries. Whether you are a student, a recent graduate, or a seasoned writer looking for a new challenge, there is an internship opportunity for you.
#1 American University Sustainability Communications Internship
The Office of Sustainability at American University is a leading institution in environmental education and action, dedicated to implementing the university’s sustainability plan and advancing sustainability initiatives across campus. The internship is based in Washington, DC, and is part of the Sustainability Communications Team that develops and executes a communications strategy to promote sustainability awareness, engagement, and behavior change among students, faculty, staff, and the broader community. Interns will work for approximately 10 hours per week for the duration of the academic year with potential opportunity for continuation and receive $17.50 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must be current American University undergraduate students studying marketing, communications, graphic design, or related fields; must have native proficiency in English; must have strong communications, PR, or marketing skills; must have strong writing skills; must have experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Canva, Mailchimp, and social media platforms; must have passion for social responsibility and environmental sustainability; must have demonstrated record of reliability; must have self-starter ability; must have teamwork skills; and must have an open mind.
#2 The Kentucky Campus Compact Communications Internship
The Kentucky Campus Compact is a statewide coalition of colleges and universities committed to advancing service learning and civic engagement, dedicated to telling its story and promoting its initiatives. The internship is based in Campbell Hall at Northern Kentucky University and is part of the Communications Team that works with KyCC staff and member institutions to create and disseminate various forms of communication and marketing materials. Interns will work for 20 hours per week, flexible depending on the student’s schedule, and receive $13.00 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must have project management and leadership skills; must have good computer skills and website content management skills in WordPress; must have basic graphic design skills; must have creativity and initiative; must have the ability to work independently and meet goals and deadlines; must have strong writing skills and good oral communication skills; must have the ability to form strong working relationships with constituents. Marketing, Communications, Journalism, English or Public Relations majors preferred or equivalent marketing or communications experience.
#3 Infinity Marketing Solutions Social Media Internship
Infinity Marketing Solutions is a full-service marketing agency that provides creative and strategic solutions for various clients, dedicated to putting your love of likes, follows, subscribers, comments, and community management to the test. Interns will work with the social media team to take and edit photos, use Adobe Suite or online tools to edit and modify images, monitor changes in social media platforms, meet timelines for regular and assigned deliverables, write creative content that aligns with audience interests, learn best practices for creating press releases, and complete other duties and responsibilities as assigned. Interns will work for a flexible work schedule and receive $7.25 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must be proficient with Microsoft Office Suite; must be comfortable in social media platforms; must have excellent writing skills; must have aptitude in the Adobe Creative Suite or knowledge of AP Style as a plus.
#4 UWGLV Communications Internship
United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV) is a nonprofit organization that improves lives and community conditions by mobilizing the caring power of the Lehigh Valley, dedicated to supporting the work of UWGLV through writing skills. Interns will work on projects such as website editing and copywriting, updating new website back pages, writing copy for specific pages, and event support. Interns will work for approximately 6 hours per week with flexible start and end dates of approximately January-May, and receive a competitive wage of $10 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must have exceptional writing skills (in English); bilingual in Spanish is a plus; must have familiarity with the Lehigh Valley and UWGLV’s work in the community; must demonstrate they are developing new professional skills and would benefit from the opportunity to work and learn in the organization; must be committed to diversity and inclusion.
#5 Agency Habitat Copywriting Internship
Agency Habitat is a next-generation brand agency that provides creative and strategic solutions for various clients, dedicated to recognizing and nurturing young talent with hands-on opportunities to learn and grow. Interns will work with the copywriting team to shadow and learn from multiple departments in the agency, attend brainstorming sessions, kickoff meetings, client reviews, presentations, client status calls, etc., participate in any agency-wide intern projects, and complete other tasks as assigned. Interns will work for a minimum of 20-28 hours per week and receive $12 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must have ridiculous drive and work ethic; must have experience writing with a range of styles and tones; must have in-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office; must have good command of AP style; and must have positive attitude and teamwork skills. Working toward or having obtained a bachelor’s degree (Marketing, Communications, Advertising/PR, Journalism, English, or related fields) is preferred.
#6 Journalism Internship (Real Change Wilmington)
Real Change Wilmington is a community lead news, events, and resource center in Wilmington, Ohio, dedicated to making a meaningful contribution to the team and the community through journalism. The internship is part of the Journalism Team that works on pitching article ideas, interviewing community leaders, writing articles for the website, posting and scheduling content for social media, and gaining hands-on professional interviewer and multimedia skills. Interns will work for a part-time paid internship ($12.00–$14.00/hr based on experience).
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school or college students who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism; must have proven interest in and passion for journalism; must have desire to be a part of a team that promotes advocacy and support for the community; must have proficiency in word processors; must have initiative to propose story ideas and execute them; must have ability to use multiple resources and analyze documents and notes during research.
#7 Maestro Cares Foundation (MCF) Grant Writer Internship
Maestro Cares Foundation (MCF) is a nonprofit organization that improves the quality of life for orphaned and disadvantaged children in Latin America and the United States, dedicated to seeking and identifying appropriate grantors and writing and submitting grant proposals for new and existing projects and programs. Interns will work on responsibilities such as researching and identifying potential grant funders, writing and editing proposals for grant applications, responding to internal and external queries on drafted and submitted proposals, working with the Manager to create a database of potential grants and timelines for the grant writing process, assisting in tracking the grants process by calendaring, and other administrative tasks as needed. Interns will work for a paid internship position that can lead into a permanent position within the organization.
Eligibility: Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in English, communications, creative writing or a related area (master’s degree preferred); must have a minimum of two years’ experience in grant writing; must have excellent knowledge of proposal submission and fundraising process; must have ability to study and understand programs and funding requirements of the organization. Applicants must also be based in Chicago, IL and be able to work in the office.
#8 DriveOhio Communications Internship
DriveOhio is the state’s innovation hub for smart mobility that develops the world’s most advanced smart mobility ecosystem of connected, autonomous, electric, and shared transportation. The internship is based in Columbus, Ohio, and is part of the DriveOhio Communications Team that creates social media, graphic design, digital communication, and public education for emerging tech. Interns will receive a competitive salary and a chance to learn from the best in the industry.
Eligibility: Applicants must be storytellers, creative and engaging, attention to detail, self-starters, and able to balance multiple tasks; and be enrolled in an accredited college or university and are in good academic standing.
#9 City of Fort Wayne Marketing Internship
The City of Fort Wayne is the second-largest city in Indiana and a thriving community with a high quality of life. The internship is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is part of the Marketing Team that supports the administrative division with public relations, advertising, grant writing, fundraising, planning, marketing research, customer service, photography, social media, web editing, and design and other marketing related tasks. Interns will receive $15.2336 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must have completed or be pursuing college courses and/or training in Marketing, Media Relations, Journalism, English or Communications; have experience with Microsoft Word and Excel or equivalent and experience with statistical packages, the world wide web and social media; have writing skills conducive to writing press releases and compiling various reports; have experience with print and electronic media; and have proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
#10 Brigham and Women’s Hospital Editorial Internship
The Office of Strategic Communication at Brigham and Women’s Hospital is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The internship is fully remote, and the intern must be located in the New England area. The intern will produce content for a variety of hospital publications, covering the incredible work happening behind the scenes at Brigham and the many inspiring people who perform it.
Eligibility: Applicants must be currently enrolled (at the time of the internship term) in an undergraduate or master’s program, preferably pursuing a degree in journalism, communications, public relations, or a related field; have familiarity with AP Style and news writing formats; Start and end dates are flexible. Interns will work remotely for the duration of this internship. Qualified candidates must have access to a computer/laptop and phone during their internship hours, as well as reliable internet access.
#11 Tidal Vision | Tidal Grow AgriScience Science Communication Internship
Tidal Vision | Tidal Grow AgriScience is a company that creates positive and systemic environmental impact by making biopolymer solutions cost-competitive, more convenient, and better performing than the synthetic chemicals they displace, dedicated to assisting in the mission-driven communications of the company. Interns will work on project work in mission-driven communications, such as developing, reviewing, or researching marketing deliverables across the industries they work, writing and reviewing writing for websites, press releases, and other writing projects. Interns will work for a full-time (40 hr/wk) temporary (8 weeks) internship and receive $24-28 per hour depending on experience.
Eligibility: Applicants must have experience in marketing within the B2B or new technology space; must have professional writing experience; must have technical science knowledge in biology, chemistry, nano-technology, material science, crop science, climate science, polymer science or any other field chitosan is valuable in; must have a broad systems perspective on why green chemistry solutions are pivotal to life on earth and must have effective presentation and presentation building skills.
#12 Lambda Technical Writing Internship
Lambda is a company that provides GPU cloud and on-prem systems for deep learning engineers and researchers, dedicated to creating documentation plans and schedules for product platforms as they are being developed. Interns will work on projects such as preparing individual sections of complex manuals or driving the complete production of conceptual and reference documents for sys admin and developer audiences, researching technical information, and preparing illustrations, diagrams, and charts. Interns will work for a flexible schedule during summer/fall and receive $18-$30 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must have the ability to edit and create documentation that is accurate, complete, clear, specific, and concise; must have the ability to explain technical concepts to peers, people from different parts of the organization, and non-technical people; must have solid written and verbal communication skills; and must be self-directed and able to work independently with minimal supervision.
#13 The Minnetonka Schools Communication Department Writing/Social Media Internship
The Minnetonka Schools Communication Department is a unit that provides accurate and timely information to students, families and community members about the school district, dedicated to using digital journalism, creative writing, graphic design or social media management skills to support district communication. Interns will work on job responsibilities such as gathering story ideas, taking/collecting photos and writing/developing feature stories, interviewing teachers, staff, students, and community members, working with staff to generate copy for the district website, social media pages, and print publications, fact-checking, proofreading, formatting and editing copy, and performing other duties as needed. Interns will receive $11.25 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must be current Minnetonka High School students; must have excellent writing, editing, and organizational skills; must have a self-starter attitude; must be dependable, mature, and self-directed; must have the ability to work independently on projects while meeting deadlines; and must be comfortable with approaching and interviewing students, teachers, staff and community members.
#14 Xcel Energy Communications Business Internship
Xcel Energy is a leading energy company that provides safe, reliable, and affordable electricity and natural gas to millions of customers across eight Western and Midwestern states. The internship is based in Minneapolis, MN, or Denver, CO, and is part of the Communications department that provides web content support for the Intranet, social media, marketing communications, and digital signage. Interns will receive $16.20 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must be current students, sophomore status or higher majoring in communications, journalism, public relations, or related degree; have excellent oral and written communication skills; have good interpersonal skills and ability to work on a project team; have good skills in MS Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; and have a minimum 3.2 GPA. Candidates selected for an interview will be asked to provide writing samples.
#15 Sodexo Marketing Insights Internship
Sodexo is a global leader in food services and facilities management that improves the quality of life of millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The internship is based in Gaithersburg, MD, and is part of the Central Marketing Team and the Campus segment that support all primary and secondary marketing research activities, including survey development, data analysis and developing presentations of findings and recommendations. Interns will receive a salary ranging from $12.6442 to $23.5337 per hour.
Eligibility: Applicants must be college students studying Communications, Marketing or English as a major; have strong writing and grammar skills with the ability to tell compelling stories to motivate conversion and engagement; be proficient in MS Office Software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); be able to pay attention to detail; and be technically savvy.
Writing internships are a valuable opportunity to improve your writing skills, build your portfolio, and network with potential employers. They can also help you discover your niche and passion as a writer.
In this article, we have presented the top 15 paid writing internships that you can apply for. These internships offer competitive compensation, flexible hours, and mentorship from experienced writers. Good luck with your application and happy writing!